The German was lying in third place when the standings were last released, but gained on his rivals with a strong display at the London International Horse Show at Olympia before Christmas.

He won the Grand Prix event in the British capital with Equita van T Zorgvliet, with the victory helping to move him to the summit for the start of 2017.

Deusser now has a total of 3,076 points, which sees the 35-year-old take over from his fellow German Christian Ahlmann, who now lies second.

Just 70 points separates the two riders, but Ahlmann’s lengthy spell as the world number one has now been brought to a close.

The American duo of Kent Farrington and McLain Ward have risen to third and fourth respectively, with just 10 points between the pair.

Farrington has 2,950 points, while Ward is edged outside of the top three places on 2,940.

Their ascent has seen France’s Simon Delestre drop to fifth place overall with 2,860 points, while his compatriot Kevin Staut, Germany’s Marcus Ehning, Canada’s Eric Lamaze, Britain’s Scott Brash and Penelope Leprevost of France complete the top 10.

Brash was one of the big movers in the standings, having risen from 13th place to ninth overall.

The FEI claim the rankings highlight the competitive performances in recent weeks from riders who are aiming to compete at the World Cup Jumping Final in Omaha in the United States. 

The event, won by world number one Deusser in 2014, will take place on March 27.

Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, who currently lies 11th in the rankings, will be looking to win the event for the third consecutive year.